Starbound
by DragonLover43
Summary: Yondu has a girlfriend, who happens to be Rocket and Groot's mother. How will everyone handle it? (Between GotG and Vol 2, but closer to Vol 2. Really not sure what to put here. Oh! Should probably mention that there's a group of Celestials that have sworn off killing planets for fun. OC is a member this group.) (WARNING: Some scenes of sexual implications.)
1. Chapter 1

"Anyways, I've gotta go, Ma," said the raccoon on the screen. Rocket was giving his mother a daily update.

"Okay, my little rockstar," replied his mother, prompting a furry smile to grace his muzzle. "Before you go, lemme say hi to Groot and tell him I love him."

"A'right," Rocket said, bending down and picking up Groot, holding him up so they could see their mother. "Say goodnight to Mom, Groot."

"I am Groot," he said obediently.

"Goodnight my little sproutling," she said. "I love you."

Groot hopped off Rocket's paw. "You know he hates when you call him that," Rocket said.

"He might say that, but I can tell he likes the cute pet name, just like you do.," she replied.

"Well, it used to be my name," he said. Someone called his name off screen. He looked in the direction then back to his mother. "I gotta go, Ma. Love ya!" The screen went dark.

"Talkin' to yer boys, love?" Yondu asked next to her. He rolled over in bed and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Yeah," she replied. They cuddled for a bit before he went off for a shower.

As they sat together in the living room on the couch, twenty minutes later or so, a call came on his com.

"Cap'n, ship's ready to head out, sir," said Yondu's second-in-command.

He sighed and kissed her temple. "Do you have to go?" she asked him, cuddling into his side.

"I wish I didn't, but you know I have the travel itch," he said. "You could always come with us, y'know."

She sighed. "You know I hate travelling. Besides," she said, "I have the farm to look after."

He chuckled. "I know," he said.

They hugged and held each other for a bit before he slid his boots on, grabbed his yakka arrow, and headed out, sharing a final kiss with her.


	2. Chapter 2

Around six weeks later, alarms were chirping as Rocket's heartrate was going crazy while his brainwaves remained mellow, like when he was deeply troubled by something he was witnessing. She ran to her computer and retrieved the coords before running to her Kyte.

She was about to kick the engines over when a call came over her PA system. She answered it, hoping it was her son.

"Kate," came the Supreme Justice's voice. "We're picking up a _lot_ of distress from Ego. Look into it."

"Okay, what's his location again?" she asked.

"Q3 sector 4A.26* by 4.46, why?"

She gasped. That's where Rocket was, and if Rocket was there, Groot wouldn't be too far off. "Oh merciful Creation," she breathed. "I'm on my way." She kicked over the engines as she ended the call. Before lifting off the ground, she let the engines idle for a bit as she ran into her store room and grabbed her Deep Space kits. In them were a collection of about six small canisters of breathable air and a helmet that could easily fit a small child standing up, or the head and chest of a grown adult male. Each canister could sustain life in deep space for about five minutes.

"Kate?"

"R-right, I'm on it. Thank you, Supreme Justice," she said, snapping out of her thoughts. She booked it back to the Kyte and lifted off the ground, darting out of the planet's atmosphere. From there, she began flying in the general direction of Ego's planet. _Okay, so going by jump points would take too long. Ugh...I'm gonna have to go through the Isth,_ she thought to herself, dreading the headache that was bound to come from it. She closed her eyes and stood up, knowing the Kyte had both momentum enough and an autopilot that would engage if there was no input for two tenths of a second. She stood behind the windscreen and placed her palms together, mentally feeling for the small chink in the fabric of space that would allow her to access the place from whence she came.

There. She grabbed fast to it and spread her palms slightly. Taking the cue, her Kyte tilted sharply to pass cleanly through the opening before she closed it tightly behind her. Turning her attention forward, she climbed out onto the top of the ship. "I need to visit Q3 sector 4A.26* by 4.46," she said to no one in particular. She dropped back inside the ship as the correct location popped open for her to pass through. She sealed the hatch and returned to the pilot's chair in time to pass through the opening. She blinked as the ship passed through and she closed the opening once again.

Debris was floating around. She could hear faint crackling over the airwaves and tapped into them. "There's gotta be something we can do!" a frantic woman cried.

Rocket's voice caught her off guard. "Not without one of us putting ourselves in their shoes," he said his voice low but still discernible. She spotted part of Yondu's ship and tilted her head curiously. She decided to do a quick flyby show.

 _But first..._ , she thought with a grin. "Ravager ship, identify yourself. This is a Kyte coming up on your starboard," she said.

"Kate?!" Kraglin clarified. "Oh thank god! Bring yer ship 'round and pick up Quill and the Capt'n."

"W-where are they?" she asked, already kicking the engines into overdrive. They wouldn't like it, but big whoop, they'd get over it.

"Between Ego's planet- long story, Ma, don't ask- and the ship. We can see 'em out our port side," Rocket said. She squinted to see. "Need some light?"

"No, I think I see them, but it's kinda hard to differentiate between them and the debris," she said. She turned on her hi-beams and wove through the debris field. Finally, a familiar flash of blue and red caught her eyes, partially due to the glowing figure beside it. "I see them!" She flashed her lights a few times at them and sealed off the cargo bay before opening the doors and swooping them up like a whale shark. "I think I've got them. I'll run down to cargo and check!" She stalled the engines after leaping from the chair. She darted down the narrow stairs and saw the pair floating in the middle of the cargo bay. She threw the lever which closed the door and the air automatically pressurized. She had with her a small canister and an oxygen mask. She jumped down to the bottom of the stairs and ran over to where Yondu now lay. She rolled him onto his back just as he blinked and opened his eyes.

"Boy...where're we?" he mumbled weakly. He sat up, coughing hard. Kate clipped the oxygen mask to the canister and offered it. He looked at her in confusion. "Who're you?"

Her stomach dropped. "Y-your...girlfriend," she replied. "How do you feel?"

"I feel awful. M' head's spinning," he replied.

"This should help. Put the mask over your nose and mouth and just breathe for a bit," she said, deciding not to press the matter of him not remembering who she was. _Hypoxia_ , she thought to herself. He took it and followed her instructions, though she got the impression that he was just humoring her.

After a while, the man who had come in with him asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"Better. M'head's not so whirly," he responded. He turned to Kate and smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"N-not a problem. D-do you recognize me?" she asked. "If so, to what extent?"

"I reco'nize ya, but as time's goin' yer meanin' more t' me," he replied. "We're a couple, ain't we?" She smiled and nodded. "Ah, does me heart good, it does."


	3. Chapter 3

After a while, Yondu started to get to his feet, only to stagger and sway enough that both Kate and the man he'd come in with linked arms around him. He looked at the both of them before brushing them off in embarrassment.

"'m fine!" he grumbled.

"Let's get you to the medical bay, at least," she said.

He started to argue against it. "I don't need to go to the medical bay, Kate! I toldja I'm fine!"

"What if you're not though?" she retorted. He averted his eyes from the concerned pair, turning to face the cargo doors. Guilt swelled within her, prompting her to approach him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're not saying you're weak. We just want to make sure you're alright. We'll get to the nearest Outpost and you can rejoin your crew, alright?" His shoulders stiffened. "At least for five more minutes?" He didn't take his eyes off the boundlessness outside. "Look at me." He closed his eyes, sighing before looking at her. In his deep brown eyes she saw a wounded pride. She cupped his cheek, brushing some of the moisture off his skin with her thumb. "I'm worried about you," she said softly. "Will you sit in the medical bay for the five minute ride to the Outpost. For me?" He turned to face his love, then closed his eyes again, raising a hand to place it over hers. He nodded, his mouth forming the tiniest of smiles.

Jarring them from the tender moment, Kraglin spoke up. "Kate, didja get the Cap'n and Quill?" he asked, a slightly panicked tone to his voice.

She sighed. "Well, we'd best be getting up there, I guess," she said. They headed for the stairs to the flight deck. As they climbed, Yondu tripped once, catching himself quickly before Kate or Peter could react.

"I'm okay," he reassured them. They made their way to the medical bay before she returned to the pilot's chair.

"Yes, I've got 'em. Yondu's still a bit woozy, but he's stable. He and Quill are in the medical bay right now. You remember where the nearest Outpost is?" she asked.

"I think? It's the Nova Corps one, right?" he asked.

"No. There's a closer one run by the Council," she said. "We-" She cut herself off with a yelp as a massive ship the size of a star suddenly jumped to their location. A tiny slit appeared in the belly of the ship and a new call came over their feed. A stunning model-esque beautiful woman stood there, touching up her makeup briefly before turning to address them.

"What's the verdict on Ego?" asked the Supreme Justice.

"He dead," Kate said, taking on a rather blunt tone she used when she knew the person she was talking to didn't have a case to argue.

" _You_ killed him?" asked her boss.

"Nope. He was dead when I got here. Had to rescue Yondu and Peter Quill, though," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder toward the medical bay. "If ya need proof, look at the debris field to my...erm..." She furrowed her brow. "Stern." She smacked herself once in the forehead as she remembered the term for behind in nautical terminology, which also somewhat applied to Deep Space. "Been a long day and most of that was spent worrying about my boys."

Peter stuck his head out of the medical bay. "You've got kids?" he asked.

She waved him off. "So yeah. We're gonna head to the nearest Outpost to make sure Yondu's perfectly fine, as he so adamantly claims," she said.

"Pop into the ship, if you'd like. Our healers are known for being able to look at someone and tell whether they'll have any lasting effects from being exposed to Deep Space for any period of time," stated the woman.

"Well..." Kate said. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to find Yondu about two feet behind her.

"'S alright, Love. I can wait. Wouldn't be a bad idea, least," he said gently, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Okay," she said softly. Louder she continued. "Alright. We'll be coming in. The Ravager ship behind me is with me."

"Y'mean the teensy little golfball?"

"I think the golfball is me, actually. Silver with white chevrons and a pale blue flame?"

An awkward silence filled the airwaves before Rocket's cackling cut through it, though faintly. "Alright, so where's the Ravager ship?" Kraglin lit up the rest of the ship. "Ah."

"So, we still good to come in, or should we head for the Outpost?"

"Yeah, alright. Come on in."

She grinned and the video feed for the newcomer went dead, leaving Kraglin awkwardly shifting his lips around as he stifled his snickering. The two ships headed toward the massive colony, soon entering the slit which had expanded to about six hundred feet high by about six hundred meters. Kate swung her Kyte around and landed it in a box before pulling the wings in. "Oh, and Sis?" she said to empty air. "Don't forget that Rocket and Groot are here. They can't survive without air."

A shrieking was heard as the woman from before appeared again. "Y'mean my widdow Wocky's here?!" Kate tried so hard not to cringe as she nodded. "Eeek! I'll be down to see you guys in a second."

"Rocket," she said in Kraglin's general direction. The raccoon in question hopped into view. "Your aunt Sylvia is coming to see you. Brace yourselves."

"Why did you tell her I was here?!" Rocket whined. "She wouldn't a known, with her obsession with trying to make you dress and act like her."

"She _would_ have known, and she'd have chewed me out for not telling her," she replied. "Besides. You didn't contact me for TWO WEEKS, ROCKET RACCOON, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN?!" She was shouting by this point. Rocket's ears went back as he lowered his chin slightly.

"Sorry, Ma, I've been busy," he said quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

As they disembarked from the Kyte, Kate felt the faint dull ache start creeping along underneath her scalp. Yondu, knowing her well enough to see the way she wrinkled her brows meant she had a headache coming on. He put an arm around her, squeezing comfortingly.

"Maybe they'll let us share a medical bay," he murmured into her hair before kissing her head.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, bracing for the pain to worsen. Twenty minutes later, after "Wocket" was thoroughly squeezed and cooed half to death, Yondu and Kate were laying in a completely dark, quiet room on a soft bed. He didn't have any serious complications from his exposure to Deep Space and would recover fairly quickly.

"How ya feelin' now, love?" he whispered softly.

She winced. "It's passing, slowly, but it has lessened somewhat," she replied. He propped himself up on an elbow and leaned over, locking lips with her briefly. She sighed, instinctively arching against him as they made out. Surprisingly, the fire it ignited in both her heart and...other areas, seemed to drastically reduce the pain she was feeling.

"Wanna share the pain? I know the Council's helpin' ya through it, but is there any way I can help too?" he asked softly.

"Erm...Not that I know of, other than just laying here with me," she replied, thankful for the darkness which hid her bright red flushed face. After a few moments of silence, she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Though kissing is nice."

 _"Oh for goodness sake, ask him if he really wants to share the headache. Be interesting to see a man who's never dealt with this before experience it,"_ sighed a Council member through an earpiece she had on.

"Are you sure you'd be willing to share the pain? Or did you mean someone else? The Council said that if you're willing they'd be willing to bring you into the loop," she said.

He brought a hand up and caressed her cheek. "If that's whatcha need, love," he murmured.

"Truth be told, it's actually a lot easier now, certainly better than it was at first," she said. She bit her lip as she shifted slightly while he traced his fingers around her face. "But if you really want, I know how to bring non-Celestials into a share."

"Oh?" he asked. "How's that?"

In response, she found his lips in the darkness. As he deepened the kiss, she gently reached out with her mind and brought his closer. He winced as gradually, the Council lowered the headache for the both of them to split. They ended their kiss and simply lay in each others arms. Slowly, and mercifully, the pain gradually died down until it was nothing more than a memory. "Well," she said breezily. "Thank goodness that's over." Yondu didn't respond. "Love?" Still nothing. She shook his shoulder. "Hey. You okay?"

The lights slowly faded on and it was then she realized he was crying. "I'm sorry," he said brokenly as she brushed his tears away.

"For what? What's wrong?" she asked, worry coloring her voice and the walls surrounding them.

"I'm sorry you've had to go through that on your own for so long," he said quietly, sitting up and hugging her tightly. He pressed his mouth into her shoulder turning his face briefly to kiss her neck before returning his mouth to her shoulder. She shivered with pleasure, still marginally sparked up by the make out sessions they'd shared. He pulled back and looked at her, concern on his own face. Seeing no residual horror or pain, confusion took over.

"Let's just say that you've still got it," she said with a wink.

He chuckled, placing his hands on her hips before he tugged her closer, hitching her legs over his knees so she was sitting across his lap. "Still got it, do I?" he said, his raspy voice low and alluring. She bit her lip as she nodded, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

" _Oh-kay! And we're gonna briefly block you guys before you either blind the whole ship or cause us all to enjoy ourselves!"_ yipped the Council member. " _But, er, Yondu?"_

"Hm?" he inquired.

 _"Good job keeping her happy,"_ they said. _"Alright, we're cutting ya off now. Erm...Enjoy yourselves."_

And indeed they did.


	5. Chapter 5

An hour later after fully satisfying their urges, they walked back into the main area hand in hand, grinning like a pair of teenagers who had just gone to a forbidden party. Rocket was sitting on a chair, rubbing one of his cheeks. He was holding himself unnaturally still otherwise, mostly due to the full tuxedo Kate's sister had wrestled him into, prompting poorly hidden chuckles and giggles from the rest of the group.

They all looked up and Drax and Gamora gave them knowing looks, Peter and Rocket quickly averted their eyes, the former blushing beet red. "So," Kate said breezily. "What's everyone's verdict on this ship?"

"Ma, is it normal for the walls to change colors?" Rocket mumbled, not looking up from the floor.

"Depends," she said. "They were created by me as I try to maximize efficiency while still maintaining a pleasing aesthetic. Unfortunately that turns this whole ship into a mood ring. So when I'm troubled, they know it, when I'm, erm..." She looked uncomfortably at Groot and Rocket, who had closed his eyes and flattened his ears. "Yeah, it tends to splash a certain hue of red, though when that urge is satisfied, it's a shimmering rainbow that nearly blinds everyone."

"So, do all Celestials possess that ability or just you?" Peter asked, changing the subject somewhat.

"All of my kind can do it, just some are better than others. I'm definitely not a life-of-the-party being, but I do need some social interaction and affection." She giggled as Yondu wound an arm around her waist and pulled her closer so their hips bumped. She pointed sideways at him. "He helps with that quite a bit. When he decides to visit," she teased, poking him in the side.

He chuckled and looked up at Rocket when he felt the protective glare fall on him. "So how did you meet my Mom, Yondu?" Rocket asked.

"We actually met technically due to a neighbor I had growing up who just did _not_ get the concept of other people having to work," she explained instead.

"I was asking him, but thanks for telling me, Ma," Rocket said. "Is that all there is to the story?"

"Not really," Yondu said this time. "Not quite sure if er'body knows this story, since I don't know if the Council knows."

"They kinda know, they remember it from when I first got in contact with Nova Corps to get off Terra in the first place," she continued. She and Yondu exchanged looks. "It's a bit of a lengthy tale, but surprisingly it doesn't involve looks but rather the mutual agreement of an obnoxious neighbor."


	6. Chapter 6

They all sat around a massive table, Yondu and Kate sitting next to each other, and they began their story.

* * *

(Two years before Peter's kidnap)

* * *

"Anyways, sweetheart, I've got some cookies baking so I'd best be going," Betty said, finally leaving her fence to waddle back inside her home, leaving an exhausted Kate on her walk.

Kate turned and started heading inside the quaint farmhouse right on the border of her land, when the sound of a large engine caught her ear. She turned and saw a ship landing on the other side of her house. She sighed and headed around back, hoping it was the movers she'd been told would arrive within a month. A man with skin as blue as cobalt with a streak over his crown as red as a ruby disembarked the ship, striding confidently towards her.

"You Kate?" he called to her.

"Yes, are you the movers I was told to expect?" she responded.

"We were asked by Nova Corp to give you a lift off this planet, weren't given the reason, though," he replied. "Name's Yondu Udontu. Let's take a walk through yer house and then we'll discuss pricing."

They went inside the farmhouse and Kate showed him the boxes she had packed and explained that some of the boxes were more important than others and why. They were just finishing up the tour when Betty called out to her.

She cringed. "Not again," she whispered painfully.

"Who's that?" Yondu asked.

"She's the reason I'm leaving this planet," Kate responded quietly. "Her name's Betty and she just doesn't know when to shut up."

"Ever tell her to?" he asked, his brow wrinkling in curiosity.

"No, my mother raised me to listen when spoken to, no matter what," she sighed.

From outside, they could hear Betty calling "Oh Kate!"

Kate closed her eyes again, whimpering silently before taking a deep steadying breath. "Would you like to meet her?" she asked Yondu.

"Sure, may as well," he said. He went out with Kate and Betty joined them inside at the small round table with tall glasses of lemonade.

Over the course of the next few hours, Betty filled Yondu in on what was going on in her life, with no questions from him, simply telling her life story to him unprovoked. Occasionally, Yondu and Kate would exchange glances across the table, though it went unnoticed as Betty seemed to enjoy someone to talk to.

Finally, mercifully, she ran out of things to talk about, and Kate showed her the door, closing it behind her and leaning her back up against it as she slid down it. "Why me?" she whispered.

"She bin following you for a while?" Yondu asked, reminding her that she still had company.

"Yeah. I've moved six times in the past year and a half," she sighed. " _She's_ the whole reason I'm leaving." A tubby raccoon shambled over to her. She smiled and picked him up. "Why _we_ are leaving, I guess."

"Who's this now?" Yondu asked, pointing at her furry companion.

"His name's Rockstar, and you can bet your boots he lives up to it," she said. The raccoon sniffed her face, his little black nose twitching as he bounced slightly due to his chubbiness, his tags bouncing a little, the bright green and blue elastic collar stretched out.

Out of nowhere, a new voice came over a com Yondu had on his belt. "Cap'n," said the new voice. "'Fit's alright with you, the crew and I'd be fine eating the cost o movin. Erm..." A click sounded then a second later the voice continued. "We'd rather get a move on than wait around too much longer case the talker comes back."

Yondu chuckled. "Alright, I'll let her know," he said into the com. He turned to her. "Don't worry 'bout the price. Let's just get you off this planet, a'right?"

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Are you sure though? I don't mind paying for moving. I've got a fair bit of stuff, including him and his stuff."

Yondu nodded and someone knocked at the door. Kate sighed, thinking it was Betty again. "It's some of me crew," Yondu said. She popped to her feet, holding Rockstar under one arm as she opened the door. Keeping in mind Kate's recommendations, Yondu instructed his crew on how to move everything out of the house and into the designated space on their ship.


	7. Chapter 7

Kate's request to spend one final night in her farmhouse was granted after she cited a long last day of work and her not being able to sleep well in new places.

 _("That first night, after I metcha, I dunno what it was, but I couldn't get ya outta my head. Dunno what it was what drew me to ya, but I'm sure glad it did."  
"Aww, thanks, Love." *They kiss* "Anyways, back to the story.")_

The next morning at daybreak, the last of her belongings was loaded into the ship, her and Yondu taking a final walk through to ensure nothing was missed. As they left the house and began heading around the building toward the ship, Betty called out to them.

"Oh, Kate, Yondu!" she called. They cringed, their backs to her. "What a surprise to catch you two up so early! I wasn't expecting to see you for at least another hour."

"Just gimme a reason not to run her through," Yondu growled to Kate.

"It'd tie us up. Nova Corp would come and do an investigation and we'd have to return or stick around to give statements," she said. She paused as she thought. "Not trying to be offensive, but can your ship suck people up? Or is that just something in movies?"

Yondu sighed, closing his eyes as he pressed his lips together in a thin, long line. He pulled out his com. "Kraglin, get the ship off the ground and pull us up in a few minutes," he said into it. He returned it to its holster and they both sighed as they turned towards Betty.

"What's all the hullabaloo about, Kate? Are you going on a trip?" her neighbor asked.

"Uh, sure. Something like that, Betty," she replied. Her neighbor chatted happily along until a spotlight illuminated her and Yondu. A strange pulling sensation settled over Kate like a thick fog, and seconds later she was lifted off the ground. Betty shrieked and ran inside. When Kate tried to turn her head to look around, she found herself immobile. Trying not to panic, she asked, "Is it normal to be unable to move?"

Yondu chuckled. "Yeah, it's a bit unnerving a' first, but ya get used to it," he replied. "It'll be over in a few seconds, and then we'll be off to you and yer furry buddy's new home."

"Oh thank you," she said, the gratitude in her voice washing over him like a warm sunny day. When they finally felt their shoes land on the ship's floor, she took a few seconds to orient herself and get her travel legs before she followed Yondu, who beckoned for her to stick close to him for a bit.

They headed to where she'd be boarding for the duration of the trip. "The planet you'll be living on is too close to use jump points, but not far enough for a sonic boost," Yondu explained.

One of his crew piped up. "Hey, I thought you said it was because-" Yondu silenced him with a look. The crew member ducked his head and returned to his work, muttering an apology.

"Now, you said you were heading to Morag, right?" he asked turning to her.

"Yeah. Little bit sick of neighbors, so Nova Corp said they'd give me the whole planet, provided I could find something to do with it," she said. As they left the atmosphere, she heard a murmuring at the back of her mind. Yondu showed her to her quarters and the raccoon-that-would-one-day-become-Rocket looked up sleepily from his fluffy bed, stretching a long wave at them before yawning wide and curling up as best he could. Her brow furrowed as the murmuring intensified. She could almost make out words now, just barely catching the syllables and snippets of words.

"You okay?" Yondu asked her.

She blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, just feeling a little weird leaving my whole family behind. I think my brain might be a little fried from all the activity," she replied.

"Well, take a bit and get settled in. We'll be to Morag in about a week," Yondu said, putting a hand on her upper back before turning and leaving her quarters.

She closed the door and sank onto the bed, laying down as she closed her eyes. Past-Rocket got up from his bed and tugged on the edge of the bed to get her attention. She rolled over and picked him up, holding him close as she lay on her side, trying to rest and put everything together.

As they pulled further from the planet she grew up on, the veil that had been obscuring everything suddenly fell away, exposing her to the sea of voices.

"Oh, hi, Kate!" one of them said. Something about it was familiar.

 _H-hi?_ she thought and started to say before another voice cut across.

"Don't worry about speaking aloud. It's more difficult. Just send us your responses through thought," the new voice said. "And welcome back to the Council chat. How was your time on Terra?"

Instantly memories flooded through her mind, many of them pleasant, though a few did involve pain, anger, and sorrow. The ones that centered around Betty tended toward anguished and long-suffering, though thankfully they were offset by the happy thoughts of the purring raccoon cuddled next to her.

"Great! So Terra...is...not...going...to be...cleared," a third voice chimed in, slowing down somewhat as though scribbling something down in a notebook.

 _Cleared? What do you mean by that? Wh-I'm so confused!_ she thought, her confusion making her thoughts sound as though she were whining.

"You're a Celestial, remember," reminded the first voice.

And suddenly everything clicked into place. _Hey Honor_ , she thought with a grin. _How's it going Justice? Craig, how've you been? Everyone, what are your thoughts on my assignment? Am I going to be in trouble for abandoning my post, or am I in the clear because of Betty's, erm... persistence?_

They almost blinded her with a sea of bright colors as they chuckled. "Nah, you're good. By the way, nice job keeping the Ravager in check. He'd a run her through with his yakka," said Craig.

She smirked. _It weren't no thang. Easy peasy,_ she thought to herself. Soon she found herself dozing, and not long after that, she was asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wait," Peter said, breaking the story. "If you cared about Rocket so much, why did you give him to people who mistreated him?"

Kate sighed. " I didn't," she explained. "I went grocery shopping for some extra supplies and when I came home I found him missing and his collar in the middle of the floor. It was broken. I didn't see, or rather my mind protected itself by blocking out what was around it. I was worried so I called Yondu and asked if he'd be willing to hang out with me because I didn't feel like I should be left alone."

"I arrived round about 20 minutes after that call," Yondu continued. "I come in the door and stopped. Here." He pulled out a thin envelope, passing it over to Peter, who removed the contents and looked at the 4 pictures within it. His eyes widened.

"Oh," he said. "Oh-oh god." He passed the pictures to Gamora. She looked at it, maintaining a near-perfect mask.

"Well that would lend itself to the assumption of death," she commented.

"What would?" Drax asked. He retrieved the pictures and looked them over himself. "What is the size of this?"

Kate pulled out the broken collar ad set it on the table. The stretched material curled slightly as it was designed. "If I had to guess, I'd say the size of a toddler's bed," Kate said. "Nova Corps did an investigation after Yondu called them for me. After they left, his crew cleaned it for me. I just-I was just in no state to, y'know, do anything other than try to maintain my sanity, which was, at the time, tenuous."

Peter was staring at the table. He turned to her and started to speak before Rocket hopped down off his chair and snuck under the table to pop up next to his mother. She smiled at him and picked him up, sitting him on her lap.

"We had an argument about it a couple months before he met you guys, actually. He cussed me out and stormed off, meaning I had to give it to Groot, who forced him to look in the envelope," she explained. She began running a hand from Rocket's eyebrows to the back of his skull, which caused him to lift his chin slightly, still not fully comfortable with the affection his mother was giving him. She looked down at the raccoon in her lap. "Would you be okay with me telling them your reaction or at least what I saw about twenty minutes later?"

Rocket pulled his lips back slightly as he pondered, bobbing his head around and humming. "Sure," he said. "It's in the past and honestly I'm fine with how I reacted now."

"Okay," she said. Addressing everyone else, she continued. "After they left, I heard a tiny knocking on the door and opened it to find Rocket there, his shoulders slouched in defeat, the fur under his eyes far darker than normal for a raccoon-"

"Hey!" Rocket protested, pointing his nose straight up at the ceiling.

"Well, it's true," she said without looking at him. "I stared at him for a bit and he stared at me. I went to my knees and he threw himself into my arms, crying. He apologized for his words, and he asked if I really thought he was dead." She paused, pressing her lips together tightly as she blinked up at the ceiling rapidly. "I confirmed it and he said sorry again. Then we hugged for a while, Groot wrapping us in his branches while I held him on my lap. After that, we sat down and had a nice hot cup of apple cider which I was brewing up at the time."

"It was simply divine. We could make a load of units offa that stuff," Rocket commented, his beady little black eyes sparkling.

"Not likely," she corrected him. "Not everyone's physiology is able to handle certain Terran products, hence the reason they don't go there."


End file.
